Mission Inn Golf Camp Popular With Foreign Players

Junior golfers representing several countries have been attending a camp at the Mission Inn Golf and Tennis Resort in Howey-in-the-Hills.

This is the second year that Mission Inn has held the camp. Several of the campers have combined their stay by working two weeks at the tennis camp in addition to two weeks at the golf camp.

The two camps had 70 players during the last four weeks and 30 remain for the final two weeks.

''We work with them for four hours a day,'' assistant golf pro Richard O'Connor said. ''What we do is have two hours of lessons in the morning and are on the course for two hours in the afternoon. We try to cover all areas of the game, from proper etiquette to how to play the game.''

O'Connor is one of three instructors involved in the camp. The other teachers are head pro Jim Muszak and assistant pro Thomas Reed. O'Connor said there are also several camp counselors.

O'Connor said each pro teaches between 10 and 12 players. Players have been divided into groups -- A group for advanced players, B group for intermediates and C group for beginners.

The pros alternate working with each group.

''We all try to teach the same thing but each pro may notice something different,'' O'Connor said. ''I may see something in a kid's swing and change that, and Jim may see something in the way a kid is gripping the club. Everybody sees something different.''

The morning lessons include video taping players and working on their chipping, putting and driving. In the afternoons, the pros watch if the players are using the lessons they were taught.

In addition to teaching golf, O'Connor said he has also learned a few things from the foreign players.

''I've learned a few words in French, like golf clubs,'' O'Connor said. ''There really hasn't been a communications problem. Most of the players speak English fairly well.''